Process for producing quaternary ammonium amino polyamide containing halohydrin functionality

ABSTRACT

Described is a novel process for producing quaternary ammonium compounds containing halohydrin functionality from tertiary amines without the use of epihalohydrin as the quaternization agent. The process of this invention comprises reacting an amino compound containing at least one tertiary amine group with an allyl halide to quaternize the amine and then reacting the quaternized product with hypohalous acid to convert the allyl substituents to halohydrin moieties.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 155,026 filed May 30, 1980,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,006.

This invention relates to a process for producing quaternary ammoniumcompounds containing halohydron functionality and more particularly toan improved process for producing compounds having in their molecularstructures at least one quaternary nitrogen grouping of the formula##STR1## where X and Y are halogen.

It is known that compounds containing quaternary ammonium groups can beproduced by reacting compounds containing tertiary amine groups with anepihalohydrin and, depending upon the exact reaction conditions, thequaternized tertiary amine groups have the formula ##STR2## where X ishalogen and Y is an anion such as a halide anion. Typically, when the pHis 7 or higher, epoxide functionality (formula A) predominates and whenthe pH is 6 or below and particularly below 5, the groups almostexclusively contain the functionality in the halohydrin form (formulaB). Materials containing a plurality of the above quaternary ammoniumgroups are of particular significance as wet strength agents for paper.

The use of an epihalohydrin and particularly epichlorohydrin as thequaternization agent for tertiary amine groups, however, has becomehighly undesirable due to the environmental and health problemsassociated with its toxicity. Further, since substantially completequaternization of tertiary amine groups with epichlorohydrin requiresthe use of an excess of the reagent, expensive recovery and purificationtechniques must be employed to produce a completely epichlorohydrin-freematerial.

Now, in accordance with this invention, it has been found thatquaternary ammonium compounds containing halohydrin functionality can beproduced from tertiary amines without the use of epihalohydrin as thequaternization agent and that the resulting products possess all of theadvantageous properties of the prior art materials produced withepihalohydrin and additionally provide economic and environmentaladvantages which heretofore were not realizable.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to an improved process forproducing quaternary ammonium compounds having in their molecularstructure at least one quaternary nitrogen group of the formula ##STR3##where X and Y are halogen, from an amino compound containing at leastone tertiary amine group, wherein the improvement comprises reacting theamino compound with at least one mole of allyl halide per mole oftertiary amine present in the amino compound to quaternize the tertiaryamine groups and form allyl substituted quaternary ammonium halidegroups and then reacting the resulting product with hypohalous aciduntil substantially all of the allyl substituents are converted to thecorresponding halohydrin moieties.

The amino compounds useful in the process of this invention can beacylic or cyclic, aliphatic or aromatic, or monomeric or polymericprovided that the compound contains in its structure at least onequaternizable tertiary amine group. Other groups or radicals can also bepresent to the extent that the presence of such groups or radicals doesnot interfere with or inhibit the reactivity of the tertiary amine groupto quaternization and the subsequent reaction of the quaternizedtertiary amine with hypohalous acid. Particularly useful from anindustrial standpoint are the polymeric materials containing tertiaryamine or tertiary amine salt groups due to the outstanding ability ofthe quaternized products to increase the wet strength properties ofpaper. Exemplary of the preferred polymers are

(a) polyaminoureylenes containing tertiary amino nitrogens such as aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,664 to Earle, Jr., and particularlypolymers containing units of the formula ##STR4## where R is alkyl orhydroxyalkyl and n is 2 or 3;

(b) aliphatic long chain aminopolyamides containing at least onetertiary amine group in the chain unit such as are described in U.S.Pat. No. 3,332,901 to Keim and particularly polymers containing units ofthe formula ##STR5## where R and n are as described above, A is alkyleneof 1 to 6 carbon atoms, ##STR6## and m is 0 or 1;

(c) aliphatic straight chain aminopolyesters containing at least onetertiary amino nitrogen in the chain unit and particularly polymerscontaining units of the formula ##STR7## where R, n, m and A are asdescribed above;

(d) homopolymers or copolymers of N-substituted diallylamines such asare described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,700,623 and 3,833,531 to Keim, andCanadian Pat. No. 999,300 to Emmons et al., and particularly polymerscontaining units of the formula ##STR8## where R¹ is alkyl, allyl or analkyl substituted with carboxylate, cyano, ether, tertiary amino, amideor hydroxyl groups and R² and R³ are hydrogen or alkyl;

(e) homopolymers or copolymers of C-vinylpyridines, and particularlypolymers containing units of the formula ##STR9## where R² is asdescribed above;

(f) homopolymers or copolymers of N,N-dialkylaminoalkyl- orN,N-dialkylaminohydroxyalkyl acrylates or methacrylates such as aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,393 to Lewis et al. and 3,842,054 toKeim, and particularly polymers containing units of the formula##STR10## where R⁴ is hydrogen or methyl, R⁵ is alkyl and m is 0 or 1;

(g) homopolymers or copolymers of N-N-dialkylaminoalkyl-orN-N-dialkylaminohydroxyalkyl- substituted ethylenically unsaturatedamides such as are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,133 to Zweigle, andparticularly polymers containing units of the formula ##STR11## whereinR⁴ , R⁵ and m are as described above;

(h) homopolymers or copolymers of N,N-dialkylaminocarboxylic acid estersof ethylenically unsaturated alcohols, and particularly polymerscontaining units of the formula ##STR12## where R⁴, R⁵ and n are asdescribed above; and

(i) piperazine-containing polyesters or polyamines, and particularlypolymers containing units of the formula ##STR13## where B is alkyleneor hydroxy-substituted alkylene of 1 to 6 carbon atoms and R is asdescribed above.

Other amino compounds which are useful in the process of this inventioninclude aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic tertiaryamines such as trimethylamine, dimethylethylamine, dimethylbutylamine,dimethyloctadecylamine, dimethylcyclohexylamine, diethylcyclohexylamine,N,N,N'N'-tetramethylethylenediamine,N,N,N',N",N"-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, dimethylaniline, pyridineand the like.

The reaction of a compound containing a tertiary amine group with anallyl halide results in quaternization of the free amine and theformation of units containing allyl substituted quaternary ammoniumhalide groups. In those instances where the tertiary amine groups arepresent in the form of salts such as the hydrohalide, as is sometimesthe case, the free amine is liberated from its salt by reaction with analkali prior to or simultaneously with quaternization. Thequaternization reaction is generally carried out at a temperature of 25°to 105° C. and preferably in a solvent for the amine such as water,dioxane, toluene, or xylene, as the particular case may be. In general,the allyl halide is allyl chloride, allyl bromide or allyl iodide and isused in an amount ranging from 1.0 mole to about 1.2 mole and preferablyfrom about 1.0 mole to about 1.05 mole per mole of tertiary aminepresent.

When the desired degree of quaternization is completed, the quaternizedunits are reacted with hypohalous acid and preferably hypochlorous acid,hypobromous acid or hypoiodous acid in aqueous medium to convert theallyl substituents to halohydrin moieties. Hypohalous acid can beprepared in advance or generated in situ by methods well known to theart. One convenient method for preparing hypochlorous acid involvesbubbling CO₂ through a solution or dispersion of a hypochlorite ofsodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium in methyl ethyl ketone/water.Another method involves bubbling chlorine gas into water or the aqueoussolution of the quaternized polymer, with or without pH adjustment. Yetanother method involves dissolving chlorine monoxide in water.Preferably, the conversion of the allyl substituent to a halohydrinmoiety by hypohalite addition is carried out at a pH of about 1 to 9 andpreferably at about 5.5 to about 8.5 and at a temperature within therange of about -10° to 35° C. and preferably from about -3° to about 5°C.

The quaternary ammonium compounds produced in accordance with thisinvention can be used as such or can be further reacted to form usefulderivatives for specific end uses such as, for example, antistats,crosslinking agents for carboxylated latices, etc. Solutions of thepolymeric materials are particularly useful as wet strength agents forpaper following activation by the addition of an amount of base, eitheras a solid or as a solution, sufficient to convert the halohydrinmoieties to epoxide groups. This will usually require an amount of baseapproximately chemically equivalent to the amount of halogen present.However, from about 1 to about 2 times this amount can be used. Bothorganic and inorganic bases can be used for activation. Typical baseswhich can be used are the alkali metal hydroxides, carbonates andbicarbonates, calcium hydroxide, pyridine, benzyltrimethylammoniumhydroxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide and mixtures thereof.

The activated polymeric solutions can be applied to paper or otherfelted cellulosic products by tub application or by spraying, ifdesired. Thus, for example, preformed and partially or completely driedpaper can be impregnated by immersion in, or by spraying with theaqueous solution, following which the paper can be heated for about 0.5minute to 30 minutes at temperatures of 70° C. to 110° C. or higher todry the same and convert the polymer to a water-insoluble condition. Theresulting paper has greatly increased wet and dry strength, andtherefore this method is well suited for the impregnation of paper suchas wrapping paper, bag paper and the like, to impart both wet and drystrength characteristics thereto.

The preferred method of incorporating the polymeric materials in paper,however, is by internal addition prior to sheet formation, wherebyadvantage is taken of the substantivity of the polymers for hydratedcellulosic fibers. In practicing this method, the activated solution isadded to an aqueous suspension of paper stock in the beater, stockchest, Jordan engine, fan pump, head box or at any other suitable pointahead of sheet formation. The sheet is then formed and dried in theusual manner.

The "off-the-machine" wet strength obtained with the polymeric compoundsof the invention will be satisfactory for most applications. Additionalwet strength can be obtained by subjecting the paper to a heattreatment. Satisfactory temperatures will be of the order of from about80° C. to about 150° C. for a period of time from about 12 to 60minutes, time varying inversely with temperature.

While the polymeric compound herein described impart substantial wetstrength to paper they also improve the dry strength of paper by as muchas 40% or more when present therein in relatively small amounts, i.e.,about 0.01% or more, based on the dry weight of the paper. Generally, itwill be desirable to use from about 0.1-3% by weight, based on the dryweight of the paper. However, amounts up to 5% or more by weight, basedon the dry weight of the paper, can be used if desired.

The following examples further illustrate the invention. All percentagesare by weight unless otherwise indicated.

EXAMPLE 1 Part 1

A reaction vessel equipped with an agitator and ice bath was chargedwith 330 grams of N-methyldiallylamine, agitation was commenced and 309grams of hydrochloric acid (36-38%) were added dropwise over a period oftime sufficient to maintain the temperature of the charge at 25° C. orbelow. The resulting solution of N-methyldiallylamine hydrochloride hada pH of 3.0-3.3. A portion of the solution (632.8 grams) was transferredto a closed polymerization vessel, nitrogen was rapidly sparged throughthe solution for 15 minutes and the solution was heated to 60° C.Catalyst was next introduced into the solution periodically bysimultaneously injecting over a 3 hour period 43 ml. of a 12% aqueoussolution of sodium metabisulfite and 43 ml. of a 5.5% aqueous solutionof t-butyl hydroperoxide while maintaining the temperature at 60° C.,the injections being made in equal increments at a rate equivalent toabout 0.24 ml./minute. Following the 3-hour period, catalystintroduction was discontinued, the vessel was vented and the contentswere recovered. The recovered solution (705.6 grams) contained 58.7% ofpoly(N-methyldiallylamine hydrochloride) having a reduced specificviscosity of 0.24 (as determined on a 1% solution in aqueous 1 molarsodium chloride at 25° C.).

Part 2

A portion of the solution prepared above in Part 1 (503 grams) and 547grams of water were charged to a reaction vessel equipped with agitator,thermometer, heating mantle, addition funnels and condenser. Agitationwas commenced and 168 grams of allyl chloride and 400 grams of a 20%aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide were simultaneously added to thecharge dropwise at a constant ratio over a period of 1 hour. Theresulting mixture was next heated at reflux temperature for 41/2 hours,following which time the mixture was cooled to 50° C. and a gentlestream of nitrogen was passed through the mixture for 2 hours. Theresulting solution contained 31.1% of poly(methyltriallylammoniumchloride).

Part 3

A portion (79.7 grams) of the polymer solution prepared in Part 2 and416 grams of water were transferred to a reaction flask, agitation wascommenced, the contents were cooled to 0° C., and 94 grams of a 5.64%solution of hypochlorous acid in methyl ethyl ketone/water (90/10) wereadded over a 15 minute period while maintaining the mixture at 0° C.Agitation was continued for an additional hour at 0° C., the mixture washeated to 75°-80° C., and agitation was continued at 75°-80° C. for 1hour. At this point the solution gave a negative KI-starch test result,indicating the absence of hypochlorous acid. The resulting solution wasconcentrated by heating at 48° C. and 90 mm. pressure to give a finalsolution containing 13.5% active solid. The hypochlorous acid solutionused in this example was separately prepared by adding in three portionsover a 20 minute period a total of 23.9 grams of calcium hypochlorite(67.5% purity) to a stirred mixture of 203 ml. of methyl ethyl ketoneand 23 ml. of water at -3° C. using a constant CO₂ sparge, continuingthe agitation and sparge for 30 minutes and then filtering the resultingmixture.

EXAMPLE 2 The procedure of Example 1, part 3, was repeated except thatthe initial charge was 318.8 grams of the polymer solution prepared inpart 2, the initial temperature ranged from -2° to +5° C., and 436 gramsof water and 394.7 grams of a 5.32% solution of hypochlorous acid inmethyl ethyl ketone/water were used. The final solution of this examplecontained 19.1% active solids. EXAMPLE 3

Another portion (79.7 grams) of the polymer solution prepared in Example1, part 2, and 416 grams of water were charged to a reactor, the chargewas agitated and cooled to -1° to +4° C., and chlorine gas was bubbledthrough the charge while periodically adding a 10% aqueous solution ofsodium carbonate to maintain the pH in the range of 7.0 to 7.5. When55.6 grams of sodium carbonate solution had been added, no furtheradditions were made and chlorine was bubbled through the mixture untilthe pH reached 4.0. The mixture was next sparged with nitrogen for 5minutes, heated to 75° C. and agitated for 1 hour at 75° C.Concentration of the solution at 48° C. and 90 mm. pressure gave a finalproduct containing 13.5% active solids.

EXAMPLE 4

A poly(methyldiallylamine hydrochloride) solution prepared as in Example1 , part 1, was diluted to a 8.3% solids with water and 1805 grams ofthe diluted solution were added over a period of 30 minutes to a vesselcontaining 1145 grams of an agitated aqueous solution of 4% sodiumhydroxide. Agitation was discontinued, the liquid layer which formed wasremoved by decantation and the residue of precipitated polymer waswashed five times with 1500 ml. portions of hot water. The washedpolymer was then dissolved in 2500 ml. of hot toluene and the solutionwas distilled to remove water, leaving 1406 grams of solution containing6.58% solids. Next, 65 grams of allyl chloride was added to the toluenesolution, the mixture was heated to 105° C. over a 4 hour period, themixture was diluted with 500 grams of water and the resulting mixturewas distilled to remove the toluene, additional water being added to theremaining mixture to maintain the volume constant. Following removal ofthe toluene, the remaining aqueous solution was cooled to roomtemperature and filtered. The filtrate, 1208.8 grams, contained 13.0% ofpoly(methyltriallylammonium chloride).

A portion of the solution prepared above was reacted with hypochlorousacid and concentrated according to the procedure of Example 1, part 3,using 144.6 grams of the polymer solution, 231 grams of water and 91.1grams of a 5.82% solution of hypochlorous acid. The final product was114.5 grams of a solution containing 19.3% active solids.

EXAMPLE 5

A 144.6 gram portion of the solution of poly(methyltriallylammoniumchloride) prepared in the first paragraph of Example 4 and 231 grams ofwater were charged to a reactor, agitation was commenced, the charge wascooled to 0° C. and chlorine gas was bubbled through the charge for 40minutes, after which time the pH of the resulting mixture was 1.35. Themixture was next sparged with nitrogen for 5 minutes, heated to 73°-75°C. and agitated at 73°-75° C. for 1 hour. Concentration of the resultingsolution by heating at 50° C. under 90 mm. pressure gave a finalsolution containing 16.6% active solids.

EXAMPLES 6-10

The products of Examples 1 to 5 were evaluated as wet and dry strengthagents for paper. In this evaluation, a 50:50 blend of Rayonier bleachedkraft pulp and Weyerhaueser bleached hardwood kraft pulp was beaten at4.4% consistency in a cycle beater to a Canadian standard freeness of500. The pH of the pulp was adjusted to 7.5 and the pulp was diluted to0.266% consistency in the proportioner of a standard Noble and Wood handsheet machine. The solutions of Examples 1-5 were activated for use bythe addition of sodium hydroxide to give a pH of 10-11 and then eachsolution was added to the proportioner as a 2% solids solution to give0.5% polymeric product based on pulp. The pulp stock was then formedinto handsheets having a basis weight of 40 pounds per 3000 sq./ft. andthe sheets were dried for 1 minute at 110° C. and then given anadditional cure by heating for 30 minutes at 80° C. The cured sheetswere tested for wet strength after soaking for 2 hours at 20° C. indistilled water. The results of the wet and dry tensile strengthevaluations are tabulated below. Also included in Table I are theresults obtained on handsheets from untreated pulp (blank).

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                               Activated     Tensile Strength,                                               Polymer Solution                                                                            Lbs./Inch Width                                          Example  from Ex.        Dry      Wet                                         ______________________________________                                        6        1               21.0     4.48                                        7        2               20.5     4.07                                        8        3               21.1     4.87                                        9        4               22.8     5.80                                        10       5               20.5     3.82                                        Blank    --              16.8     0.57                                        ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 11

The procedure of Example 3 was repeated except that the reactor wascharged with 144.6 grams of the solution of poly(methyltriallylammoniumchloride) prepared in the first paragraph of Example 4 and 231 grams ofwater. The temperature of the charge was 0° to 2° C. and concentrationwas carried out at 50° C. and 90 mm. pressure. The product of thisexample was a solution containing 15.2% active solids. Evaluation of theproduct in pulp according to the procedure of Examples 6-10 gave a drystrength of 21.6 pounds/inch width and a wet tensile strength of 5.43pounds/inch width. Results for the dry and wet strength on the blankwere 17.1 and 0.67 pounds/inch width, respectively.

EXAMPLE 12

A poly(methyldiallylamine hydrochloride) solution prepared as in Example1, Part 1 was diluted to 7.6% solids with water and 1950 grams of thediluted solution were charged to a reactor equipped with a mechanicalagitator. Agitation was commenced and 1000 grams of 4% aqueous sodiumhydroxide were added gradually over a period of 30 minutes. Agitationwas discontinued, the liquid layer which formed was decanted and theremaining polymeric precipitate was washed with 600 grams of water byagitation and decantation. Next 1760 grams of water and 76.5 grams ofallyl chloride were added to the washed polymer and the mixture washeated at reflux temperature for 3 hours, following which time theresulting solution was concentrated by heating at 50° C. and 80 mm.pressure. The concentrated solution contained 14.6% ofpoly(methyltriallylammonium chloride).

A portion of the above solution equal to 128.8 grams and 247 grams ofwater at 0° C. were charged to a reaction flask and reacted with 94.1grams of a 5.63% solution of hypochlorous acid in methyl ethylketone/water (90/10) and then concentrated according to the procedure ofExample 1, Part 3. The concentrated solution of this example contained20.5% active solids.

EXAMPLE 13

The procedure of Example 12, paragraph 2 was repeated except that nowater was used, the initial temperature was -1° to +3° C., 92.2 grams ofa 5.75% hypochlorous acid solution were used, the reaction was carriedout for 11/4 hours at 0° C. and the concentration step was carried outat 50° C. and 90 mm. pressure. The concentrated solution contained 21.1%active solids.

EXAMPLE 14

The procedure of Example 13 was repeated except that the initialtemperature of the charge was 23°-25° C., 91.5 grams of a 5.79% solutionof hypochlorous acid were used, the mixture was agitated for 11/4 hoursat 23°-25° C. prior to heating to 75° C. for 1 hour and theconcentration step was carried out at 50° C. and 80 mm. pressure. Theconcentrated solution contained 20.5% active solids.

EXAMPLE 15

The procedure of Example 3 was repeated except that the reactor wascharged with 128.8 grams of the polymer solution prepared in Example 12,paragraph 1 and 247 grams of water, the temperature of the charge was 0°to 3° C., during the chlorine introduction the pH was maintained at6.5-7. and the solution was concentrated at 50° C. and 90 mm. pressure.The final solution contained 17.0% active solids.

EXAMPLES 16-19

Portions of the concentrated solutions of Examples 12 to 15 wereactivated for use by the addition of sodium hydroxide to give a pH of 10to 11 and then evaluated in hand sheets using the procedure of Examples6 to 10. The results of the dry and wet tensile strength evaluations forthe products of Examples 12 to 15, as well as the results obtained withuntreated pulp (blank) are summarized below in Table II.

                  TABLE II                                                        ______________________________________                                               Activated     Tensile Strength,                                               Polymer Solution                                                                            Lbs./Inch Width                                          Example  from Ex.        Dry      Wet                                         ______________________________________                                        16       12              21.9     5.55                                        17       13              21.9     5.25                                        18       14              21.4     4.97                                        19       15              21.3     4.84                                        Blank    --              17.3     0.62                                        ______________________________________                                    

Example 20 Part 1

A polyaminoureylene was prepared as follows: 217.5 grams of methylbis(3-aminopropyl)amine (1.56 mol) and 90 grams of urea (1.5 mole) wereplaced in a 3-necked flask equipped with a thermometer, mechanicalstirrer, condenser and nitrogen sparge tube. Nitrogen was bubbled slowlythrough the solution throughout the course of the reaction. The solutionwas heated to 180° C. over a 3-hour period, at which temperature theevolution of ammonia was negligible. The solution was maintained at 180°C. for an additional hour, following which time the reaction product wascooled and dissolved in water. The resulting solution of poly[-methylbis(3-aminopropyl)aminoureylene] contained 43.2% solids and had areduced specific viscosity of 0.23(as determined on a 1% solution inaqueous 1 molar ammonium chloride at 25° C.).

Part 2

Quaternization of poly[methyl bis(3-aminopropyl)aminoureylene] wascarried out as follows: 395.8 grams of the polyaminoureylene solutionprepared in Part 1 and 362 ml. of water at 25° C. were placed in a3-necked flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, dropping funnel,heating mantle and 2 dry ice condensers in series and 80.3 grams ofallyl chloride were added dropwise over a 30-minute interval. Theresulting mixture was next heated to 99° C. over a 1-hour period,following which time the mixture was cooled to 50° C. and a gentlestream of nitrogen was passed through the mixture for 1 hour. Theresulting quaternized product contained 29.6% solids.

Part 3

A quaternized polyaminoureylene containing chlorohydrin moieties wasprepared as follows: 83.8 grams of the solution prepared in Part 2 and412 ml. of water were placed in a 4-necked flask equipped with astirrer, thermometer, salt ice bath, condenser, inlet ports and pHelectrodes, and the solution was cooled to -3 to 0° C. Chlorine gas wasbubbled through the solution while maintaining the pH of the solution at7.0 to 7.5 by the intermittent addition of 10% aqueous sodium carbonate.At the point that 55.6 grams of aqueous sodium carbonate had been added,chlorine introduction was discontinued and the agitation at 0° C. wascontinued for 15 minutes. Next, nitrogen was sparged through the mixturefor 5 minutes, the mixture was warmed to 25° C., 4.4 grams of sodiummetabisulfite was added and the resulting solution was concentrated byheating at 60° C. and 80 mm. pressure to give a final solutioncontaining 19.6% active solids and having a Brookfield viscosity at 25°C. of 12.5 cps. using a No. 2 spindle at 60 r.p.m.

EXAMPLE 21 Part 1

A homopolymer of N,N-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate hydrochloride wasprepared as follows: 157 grams of N,N-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylatewere added dropwise over a 34-minute period to 98 grams of 37% aqueoushydrogen chloride in a 4-necked flask equipped with a mechanicalstirrer, thermometer, addition funnel, sparge tube, condenser and icebath while maintaining the temperature at or below 25° C. When theaddition was completed, the ice bath was replaced with a heating mantle,381 ml. of water and 12.2 ml. of isopropanol were added to the flask.The contents of the flask were heated to 50° C. and sparged withnitrogen for 15 minutes, following which time 3.03 gram of FeSO₄.7H₂ Owas introduced into the flask and the contents were heated to 76° C.over a 15-minute period under a nitrogen sparge. Next, 10.9 ml. of 90%t-butyl hydroperoxide were added dropwise over a 29-minute period andthe contents were maintained at 78°-80° C. for an additional 45 minutes,at which time polymerization was substantially complete. The resultingpolymer solution contained 30.7% solids and had a reduced specificviscosity of 0.19 (as determined on a 1% solution in aqueous 1 molarsodium chloride at 25° C.).

Part 2

Quaternization of poly(dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate hydrochloride) wascarried out as follows: (315.3 grams of the polymer solution of Part 1were placed in a 3-necked flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer,heating mantle, 2 dry ice condensers in series and two dropping funnelsand 40.2 grams of allyl chloride and 100 grams of 20% aqueous sodiumhydroxide were simultaneously added dropwise at a constant ratio over a1-hour period while maintaining the temperature at 24°-31° C. Themixture was next heated to 96° C. over a 1.25-hour period, and at thepoint that the temperature reached 44° C., 100 ml. of water wasintroduced to reduce foaming. The mixture was then cooled to 50° C., thedry ice condensers were replaced by a downward distillation condenserand a gentle stream of nitrogen was passed through the mixture for 1hour. The resulting solution contained 26.7% solids.

Part 3

A quaternized poly(dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate) containingchlorohydrin moieties was prepared according to the procedure of Example20, Part 3, except that: The flask was charged with 109.7 grams of thesolution prepared in Part 2, above, and 476 grams of water; followingthe sparging step, the pH was adjusted to 4.0 by the addition of 1.4 ml.of concentrated hydrochloric acid; 0.42 grams of sodium metabisulfitewas added; and the concentration step was carried out at 50° C. and 80mm. pressure. The final solution contained 17.4% solids and had aBrookfield viscosity at 25° C. of 12.5 cps. using a No. 2 spindle at 60r.p.m.

Examples 22 to 23

Portions of the concentrated solutions of Part 3 of Examples 20 and 21were activated for use by the addition of sodium hydroxide (25% based onsolids) and then evaluated in hand sheets using the procedure ofExamples 6 to 10. The results of the dry and wet strength evaluationsfor the products of Examples 20 and 21 as well as the results obtainedwith untreated pulp (blank) are summarized below in Table III.

                  TABLE III                                                       ______________________________________                                               Activated     Tensile Strength,                                               Polymer Solution                                                                            Lbs./Inch Width                                          Example  from Ex.        Dry      Wet                                         ______________________________________                                        22       20              19.1     1.78                                        23       21              19.3     3.00                                        Blank    --              17.8     0.63                                        ______________________________________                                    

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:
 1. A processfor producing a polymeric quaternary ammonium compound containinghalohydrin functionality and having in its molecular structure at leastone quaternary nitrogen group of the formula ##STR14## where X and y arehalogen, which process comprises reacting an aminopolyamide derived froma polyamine containing at least three amine groups, at least one ofwhich is a tertiary amine group and a saturated aliphatic dicarboxylicacid said aminopolyamide containing at least one tertiary amine group,with at least one mole of allyl halide per mole of tertiary aminepresent in the aminopolyamide to quaternize the tertiary amine groupsand form allyl substituted quaternary ammonium halide groups, and thenreacting the resulting allyl substituted product with hypohalous aciduntil substantially all of the allyl substituents are converted to thecorresponding halohydrin moieties.
 2. The process of claim 1 wherein theallyl halide is allyl chloride.
 3. The process of claim 2 wherein thehypohalous acid is hypochlorous acid.
 4. The process of claim 3 whereinthe aminopolyamide contains units of the formula ##STR15## where A isalkylene of 1 to 6 carbons atoms, ##STR16## R is alkyl, n is 2 or 3 andm is 0 or
 1. 5. The process of claim 3 wherein the reaction withhypochlorous acid is carried out in aqueous medium.